


Makeshift Bandaids

by Tonii42



Series: Healing Bruises [2]
Category: Minecraft: Story Mode - Fandom
Genre: After season one, Aftermath of Child Abuse, Before Season Two, Court Case, Fatherly!Jesse, Follows 'Fingerpainted Bruises', Heavily Suggested Child Abuse, Jesse and Radar, Male!Jesse - Freeform, Poor Radar, Social Workers, anxiety attack, slight au?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-11-24 21:27:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18170084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tonii42/pseuds/Tonii42
Summary: This was all so makeshift, so unreal, Jesse wasn't even sure it was actually happening. But the bruises weren't vanishing overnight, the social worker's hand wasn't crumbling in his grip, and his apparent 'rival' wasn't making things any easier. This had to be the most makeshift bandaid Jesse had ever seen. But it was the only bandaid he had. (Following 'Fingerpainted Bruises.')





	Makeshift Bandaids

****_**Makeshift Bandaids** _

Jesse didn't get much sleep. He was up late, looking through files in search of the best lawyer he could find, and even when he finally crawled beneath the pink sheets of his bed, Radar snoring soundly beside him, he lay awake. His brain was plagued with thoughts, hatred at himself for not noticing anything sooner, hatred at the woman that had dared to lay a hand on his kid, and guilt. Guilt for not protecting the one person that needed his protection the most.

He wasn't sure when exactly, but sometime in the night Radar shifted closer and fastened himself to his chest. But Jesse didn't mind, was relieved that he was trusted enough for such contact to begin with, wrapping an arm around him and running his fingers through his intern's dark locks. He trailed a gentle thumb over the edges of his swollen, black eye, and only dimly registered his hold tightening around the kid.

The sun rose slowly, revealing the puffs of white clouds, bleeding across the sky in pinks and oranges and reds. The dimly lit bedroom began to brighten, a trail of sunlight falling upon the picture of Jesse and Reuben on the bedside table. His eyes locked onto it, and while his chest tightened, he smiled, a small, sad little smile.

Jesse's eyes trailed down to Radar, sleeping peacefully against his chest. He was surprised by the lack of nightmares, or at least by the fact his intern had slept so well, but that could have simply been from exhaustion. Who knows what else the kids been through since last Friday?

He didn't want to wake him up. Waking him up meant bringing him back to reality, waking him up meant dealing with everything that had slapped Jesse in the face the night before. Radar looked so peaceful, lying against his chest, and Jesse doubted he'd be anything but peaceful in the near future.

He sighed heavily, allowing his eyes to close for just a moment. Jesse longed for sleep, but knew fine well it wouldn't be coming anytime soon. He'd need a lot of coffee for this. Maybe even something stronger.

It was with great reluctance that he shook Radar's shoulder. The kid didn't wake immediately, just hummed in small annoyance and buried his face into Jesse's shirt. He shook him again, a bit harder, and it was only then that his intern blinked open his one good eye.

"Morning, bud," Jesse greeted in a hushed whisper, as though the silence of the early hours was not allowed to be broken by anyone except for the soft song of chirping birds, "It's time to get up."

Radar stared at him blearily for a moment, almost looking confused. Then he groaned softly, although it sound more like a pained croak, and buried his face into Jesse's chest again. Concern clenched at Jesse's heart with jagged fingers, twisting and tearing brutally at the tender muscle.

"Radar?" Jesse frowned, brushing his fingers through the kids hair, "Hey, what's wrong?"

His intern mumbled something he didn't catch. Jesse's frown deepened.

"What was that?"

Radar was silent. Jesse was beginning to think he'd fallen asleep again when the kid suddenly yanked himself from his arms, as though he'd just been electrocuted, face pale and eye wide as he finally seemed to register where he was and what he'd been using as a teddy bear (again).

"Je-Jesse!" he gasped, cheeks colouring, "I- I am  _so_ sorry-"

"We talked about this," Jesse pointed out, sitting up and raising an eyebrow. He was rather impressed with how fast the kid had went from half asleep to full out panicked, and maybe a little worried by it. "I don't mind, Radar."

His intern squirmed, not meeting his eyes. Jesse kicked off the covers and dragged himself out of bed, wiping crust from the corners of his eyes and trying not to scowl when he spotted the blotched purples and yellows decorating the kids throat.

"How's your throat?" he asked. Radar almost looked confused for a moment, before his hand went to the hideous, finger shaped bruises around his neck, as though he'd just remembered they were there. He grimaced.

"Fi-Fine."

Jesse shot him a frown, not believing him, "Do you want an ice pack?"

Radar opened his mouth, but paused, hesitating. His mouth closed and he gave his head a brief shake. Jesse's frown deepened.

"You're sure? Those look pretty sore."

"They're- They're fine," Radar declared, straightening a little. His voice was still a bit hoarse. He sounded like he might be sick or something.

 _Push the monster down_.

"Hm," Jesse reluctantly forced himself to drop it (for now), "Okay. If you say so. Let's go get some breakfast, yeah?"

Radar scrambled out of the bed, almost getting tangled up in the blankets like he had last time. Hitching the too big pyjama bottoms further up his hips, his intern hurried after him, trailing behind him in a way Jesse had become accustomed to (it reminded him a bit of Reuben, never too far from him; his chest hurt).

The kitchen was decently big, with an island counter in the centre. Back when the walls had been newly constructed and the glass of the windows freshly smelted, the kitchen would bustle with life at every meal, laughter ringing true, the smell of freshly cooked food wafting through the air. But now it was empty, with no laughter and no chatter, and at most meals Jesse often found himself sitting alone.

He gestured for Radar to seat himself at the island table while he went to rummage through the fridge, the kid taking in the interior with interested eyes- well, eye, seeing as how his other one was swollen shut. Jesse turned his attention to his poor food supply, wondering when he'd last gone shopping. He really needed to get into the habit of getting supplies more often-  _especially_ with what he had planned.

Jesse settled for making some mushroom stew with some slightly old mushrooms he found at the back of the fridge, which was always void of meat (he'd been a vegetarian even before he'd met Reuben, and while he didn't enforce this on his friends, they didn't eat meat all that much either; pork was almost taboo in Beacontown at this point, something that had pleasantly surprised Jesse).

He sat across from Radar once it was finished, handing his bruised intern a bowl. Radar smiled his thanks, but he didn't start eating, simply taking to studying the mushy stew while Jesse spooned his own into his mouth.

The silence stretched to the point where it became almost uncomfortable, neither of them really knowing what to say to break it without making it even more awkward. The rage that had bubbled in the pit of Jesse's gut from the moment his eyes had spotted the finger shaped marks on his intern's neck had not ceased, had hardly even dulled, and the sight of his usually bubbly kid not even meeting his eyes and hunching in on himself, as though he were trying to hide, caused this rage to raise its ugly head with a vicious roar, and it took all of Jesse's effort to stop himself from flipping the table and marching off to get his sharpest sword. His grip on his spoon was white-knuckled, and he forced himself to relax when he realised Radar was staring at his clenched hand.

The kid has had enough violence in his life.

His eyes trailed over to his intern's untouched stew, the kid's own gaze darting away so he wasn't looking at him anymore, as though he'd been caught staring at a stranger from a distance. Jesse licked his dry lips. "Aren't you going to eat?"

Radar's cheeks coloured red, shoulders hunching even further, "Uh, well- well, uh... it... hm..."

"Do you want something else?" asked Jesse, already setting down his spoon and making to get up, "I think we have-"

"No!" Radar blurted, face burning bright red, a panic flashing across his eyes. Jesse froze, halfway out his chair. "I... no- no, it's- it's fine. This is fine."

"Okay," Jesse said, slowly. He seated himself back in his chair, brow creasing only slightly. "What is it, then?"

"Um, it's just, uh..." Radar mumbled something he didn't catch. Jesse leaned forwards a little.

"What was that?"

His intern was so red he looked like a bruised tomato with glasses, "It- It hurts to swallow."

Oh.

_Oh._

Jesse had the sudden urge to smack himself.  _He was such a moron._ Of  _course_ it would hurt to swallow, the kid had been  _strangled_  enough to leave freaking  _fingerprints_. Despite strangulation being seen as one of the less brutal ways to go, probably due to the lack of gore, it  _hurt_. Jesse spoke from experience, although he was certain he'd never had anything as bad as this.

"Oh," wow, he was just great at this, wasn't he? "Well, uh, how about you just drink the broth? Try taking small sips. You've got to have at least  _something_ in you."

Radar shrugged, then sighed so quietly Jesse struggled to hear him, "Okay."

His kid clearly braced himself, which caused a pang of guilt he didn't really understand to hit Jesse's chest, and raised the bowl to his lips, sipping carefully. He grimaced, although he did a rather obvious attempt at trying to hide it, and sat the bowl back down, face pinched. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"It'll go away eventually," Jesse promised, picking up his empty bowl and setting it in the sink to be washed later, "We're going to go see Dr Mari again today, so maybe she'll be able to give you something." He kind of doubted it, but who knows.

Radar looked up from the table, appearing surprised, "We're going- going back?"

"Uh, yeah," Jesse blinked, realising that he hadn't exactly  _told_ Radar anything yet, "Dr Mari wants to take another look at you, and we have to meet with a social worker-"

"Social worker?!" Radar exclaimed, surprising Jesse so much any response died on his tongue. His intern had become the colour of porridge, which was rather impressive seeing as how he'd been bright red only a few minutes ago. "You- You called Child Protection Services?!"

No, he technically hadn't. That had been Dr Mari, which was apart of the hospital's protocol when it came to possibly (or definitely, in Radar's case) abused children. Had Jesse not found out in the hospital and he'd been the only one to know, he doubted he would have called CPS immediately, but he would have had to eventually- he couldn't just claim the kid as his own and make him a resident of Beacontown, as much as he wanted to (and as much as he already had), just like that.

Jesse got as far as opening his mouth to tell him this, but Radar had leapt to his feet, chair scraping against the floor, backing away. His good eye was darting every which way, similar to when he'd been trying to hide his bruises from Jesse, like a cornered, panicked animal.

"I-I should go- I need to go," Radar declared, tripping over a spare bucket sitting next to the counter and almost falling flat on his back, "My- My mother's probably getting- you know, she's probably worried by now, I- I've never been away this long-"

"Radar," Jesse cut him off, gaping, "What are you talking about?"

"I-I need to go- go home," said Radar, twisting his fingers, looking over his shoulder at the door, "Thank- Thank you for letting me- letting me stay and- you know, um, in your room-"

"She strangled you," Jesse stated, too startled by what his kid was saying to be properly effected by his flinch, "And you want to go back?"

"She- She loves me," Radar explained, almost desperately, glancing over at the door again, a cornered animal about to bolt, "Once she's- once she's back on her pills, she'll- she'll tone it down a little, you know?"

No. No, he didn't know. This was wrong. This was so wrong.

"Radar," Jesse took a small step forward, stopping when Radar took a big step back. He held up his hands, heart a twisted mess. "She hurt you. You don't hurt the people you love, not... not like this."

His intern shook his head, good eye shiny with tears, darting once more to the door just a little ways away, "No- No. She's just- just sick. She'll get better."

"I don't think so, buddy," admitted Jesse, quietly, taking a few more small, tentative steps closer, "Look, let's just go see the social worker and see what they have-"

"No!" Radar shouted, voice cracking, although Jesse wasn't sure if it were from the held-back tears or his sore throat. He backed away, closer to the door, shaking his head. "You're- You're wrong!"

"Hey, hey, buddy, it's okay," Jesse soothed, even though it wasn't, even though everything was far,  _far_ from okay, "Let's just-"

He saw the punch before it was even properly thrown, and Jesse could have dodged it easily, could have simply leant back a little, but in all honesty he was too startled to even consider doing so. Radar's fist connected with his mouth.

It wasn't a hard hit. Far from it. His intern simply wasn't built for fighting, was more into books than swords, something Jesse loved about him simply because it was  _him_. And while his lip got nipped a little on his bottom teeth, it didn't even split, didn't even burst, and yet it left him frozen on the spot.

Radar stood stock still, eye large and round, his swollen one even opening a little. His mouth was wide open in shock, as though he couldn't believe what he'd just done. Jesse was struggling to believe it either.

His kid just hit him.

The silence that reigned was thick, so much that you would need a diamond axe just to chip at it. His lip didn't hurt, didn't even sting, and yet Radar looked as though he'd just stabbed him.

Jesse opened his mouth, then closed it. He reached forward, intending to put his hand on his intern's shoulder or something- but then Radar flinched, violently, covering his head with his bruised arms with a sharp gasp that blundered on a sob, shrinking away as though he was expecting a returning blow, as though he was expecting  _Jesse_ to hit  _him_.

_Push the monster down._

"I'm sorry," Radar sobbed, trembling like a lone leaf in a hurricane, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so,  _so sorry_ , sir-"

Perhaps against his better judgement, Jesse darted forward, Radar flinching away, and wrapped his kid in a near bone-crushing hug, burying his face into his hair. Radar sobbed, squirming, trying to get away, before collapsing against Jesse's chest and crying.

"It's okay," Jesse whispered, own eyes glistening, "Shhh, it's okay."

Sobbing.

* * *

Radar didn't protest, didn't even speak, as they made their way back towards the hospital in the mist of early morning. Despite the hour, the streets were already bustling, and Jesse made sure to stick to the back streets to avoid anyone asking for help. He'd just have to reschedule.

Radar was more important.

Besides, this way there was less people to stare at Jesse's fingers curled around Radar's, as though he were afraid he'd disappear. Less questions this way.

Jesse didn't release his hand until they were at the hospital doors, holding it open for the kid. There were a few more people in the waiting room than there had been the night before, but they hardly glanced at them, which Jesse was grateful for. He had long since become used to constantly being recognised, and was practically joyful the few times this didn't apply. Especially when he was leading his beat up intern to the check-in desk.

It was someone different from last night, a scrawny, dark skinned man. He froze when Jesse stopped in front of him, mouth opening a little, and he hoped that he didn't draw attention to him.

"I have an appointment with Dr Mari," said Jesse, careful to keep his voice  _just_ low enough that it wouldn't be recognised by any of the people scattered about the waiting room. The nurse stared at him for a moment longer, then seemed to snap himself out of it and scrambled to look through the papers.

"Ri-Right, yes- yes, of course, ah," he pulled out a sheet, running a long finger down a list of names, "Here- Here you are. She's in room 24, just down the hall," a flash of confusion crossed his face, "With... a social wo-"

"Thank you, that's fine," Jesse cut him off, putting a hand on Radar's shoulder, noticing at the back of his mind just how tense he was, and steering him towards the door to the hallway, "I believe we can find our way from here, thanks."

The nurse opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't seem to figure out what; Jesse gladly closed the door behind him.

They passed a doctor, but he was too invested in his notes to really notice them. It seemed to almost take forever to find the right room, and yet they found it too quick. Radar was practically dragging his feet by then, fingers curled around Jesse's sleeve, head bowed and good eye glued to his shoes. A pang hit Jesse in the chest. He had to resist the urge to turn around and take him back home.

_Just get it over with._

He paused in front of the door, turning to look down at Radar, who met his eyes hesitantly through his lashes. Jesse bit down on his tongue a little. "Are you... doing alright? We can wait a few minutes, if you like."

Radar shuffled his feet, casting his eyes back down to the floor, "I- I, um... if- if it's okay with- with you?"

Jesse sent him a small, reassuring smile, "Of course it is."

He decided not to mention the relief that flashed across his intern's face. Leading him over to some chairs, Jesse seated himself beside Radar, who wrapped his arms around himself as though in a hug, shoulders hunched. Like he was trying to hide.

 _Just a few minutes_ , Jesse promised silently, eyes trailing to the door that was bound to bring a crap ton of headaches once open,  _Only a few minutes._

Time passed too quickly, and soon Jesse found himself squeezing Radar's hand, forcing himself to quietly ask if he was ready to go in (when he obviously wasn't). Despite looking as though he was about to pass out from sheer nerves, Radar nodded, bruises striking against his abnormally pale skin. Jesse took a deep breath and, with great reluctance, stood.

Radar's movements were slow and rigid as he trailed after him, and had their hands not been linked, Jesse was almost sure he would have stopped walking altogether. When they reached the door, he forced himself to release his intern's hand, instead squeezing his shoulder in what he hoped was a reassuring manner.

"It's gonna be okay," he said quietly, "I promise."

Radar didn't give him an answer, but in all honesty Jesse hadn't expected him to. He reached forward, felt the cool metal of the handle beneath his clammy hands, and, praying that he had made a promise that he could keep, opened the door.

Dr Mari was in the room, speaking quietly with someone dressed in casual formality, with a dress shirt tucked into pants and a jacket Jesse presumed to be theirs hanging from the coat rack. The room was an office, a small one, with a redstone lamp glowing brightly on the ceiling and a neat little desk off to the side.

Jesse actually felt the tremble that wracked Radar's whole body when Dr Mari and the new person who could only be the social worker turned to face them, smiling kindly in greeting. He'd almost expected the worker to blanch or wince at the sight of his inter's bruised appearance, but when he thought about it, he wasn't all that surprised when they didn't. They've probably gotten used to it by now.

"Oh, Radar, Jesse, you're here," Dr Mari said, pushing herself off the desk she'd been leaning on, "How are those bruises?"

Radar, having seemingly lost his voice, shrugged slightly, hunching in on himself and shrinking against Jesse's side. He gave his shoulder a light squeeze.

"He had a bit of trouble swallowing during breakfast," Jesse explained, when it became clear the kid wasn't going to answer, "We put the ointment on his bruises the night before."

Dr Mari nodded, "Yeah, I'm afraid it's going to be a struggle to swallow for a while. Just stuck to more liquids rather than solids, okay?"

She didn't wait for Radar to nod, immediately turning to the so far silent person that accompanied them, "This is Charlie Fryn, they're the social worker that's been assigned your case."

Radar swallowed, grimacing, although Jesse didn't know if it was from the pain of swallowing or the fact that this was actually happening. Charlie smiled warmly.

"Hello, Radar," they said, clasping their hands in front of them, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

His kid shrunk further into Jesse's side, watching them as though they were a monster about to pounce, "H-Hi."

"Why don't we sit down?" Charlie asked, gesturing to the chairs that had been pulled up in the middle of the office, "Dr Mari's been kind enough to lend us her office for the moment."

"It's really no trouble," Dr Mari assured when Jesse raised an eyebrow at her. She gave a joking smile. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't go rummaging through my drawers, though."

Practically glued to his side, Radar hastily nodded. Jesse wondered if he took that a bit more seriously than was necessary.

"Would you like Jesse to wait outside, Radar?" asked Charlie, lightly, Jesse's head snapping to look at her. He hadn't even considered being kicked out while they talked, and from the way Radar's fingers fisted into his shirt, he hadn't considered it either.

His intern frantically shook his head. Charlie nodded, not pushing it, and turned to look at Dr Mari. "Thank you for your assistance, doctor."

Dr Mari nodded, trying for a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. She sent Radar a reassuring look, nodded to Jesse, before slipping passed them and quietly closing the door behind her. The silence that followed was stifling, and Radar's shoulders were so tense beneath his arm that they could have been mistaken for concrete.

Charlie gestured to the three seats that had been positioned in front of Dr Mari's desk in a small circle. When Radar began to tremble, Jesse furrowed his brow and tugged two of the chairs closer together without pulling away from his intern, so that they were touching. He sat down, Radar practically cuddled up next to his side, so close that he was more on Jesse's chair than his own.

If Charlie found this odd, they didn't say so, sitting across from the two with a clipboard and quill as though this were an everyday occurrence (Jesse's mouth went dry when he realised it probably was).

"Okay, Radar," said Charlie, smiling kindly at the boy, who looked so much younger than he actually was, cuddled up against Jesse's side, shaking, "I'm going to ask you a few questions, alright?"

Stiffly, Radar nodded. Charlie smiled brightly, kindly, and at the back of his mind, Jesse wondered how long they'd had that mask of theirs in place.

"How did you get those bruises, Radar?" Charlie asked, "Was it an accident? Or was someone hurting you on purpose?"

Radar, impossibly, shrunk even further at the question. It took him a moment to get his tongue to cooperate, to the point that Jesse thought he wasn't going to answer. "It was- It was on purpose, I- I guess."

Charlie raised her eyebrows, scribbling something down without even looking at what she was doing, "You guess?"

Radar attempted to clear his throat, shifting in his seat, rubbing a hand along his arm, where more bruises were hidden from view, "No- No, I… I know," his eyes darted up to Jesse, unsure, as though seeking reassurance. Jesse wrapped his free hand around the one Radar was using to rub at his hidden bruises, tangling their fingers and gently pulling it away, squeezing.

"Who hit you?" Charlie asked, somehow softly and yet somehow causally. As though they were cautiously asking about the weather. As though they were trying not to upset someone.

But despite this, Radar shook his head, tears brimming in his good eye, but he didn't let them fall. He breathed a deep, shuddering breath, clenching his teeth. Jesse leant down-  _push the monster down_ \- so that his lips brushed against Radar's head.

"It's okay, buddy," he murmured, rubbing his thumb over the back of his kids hand, "It's alright. Just- Just tell them what you told me, okay? I'm right here."

Radar nodded, his free hand shooting up to hastily wipe at his eye, desperation almost flooding over his battered face, "She's sick," he explained, "She's- She's been sick for a long time now. She doesn't know what she's doing."

Charlie leant forward, cocking their head a little, "Who, Radar?"

Why were they making him say it? Hadn't Dr Mari told them? Surely they already knew? Jesse's thoughts must have shown on his face, for Charlie sent him a pointed look, eyes darting between him and Radar.

They wanted to hear him say it.

Or, rather, wanted to see if he could.

Radar swallowed thickly, "My- My mother," he rasped, "She's never- she's never been the same since mam died."

"Mam?" echoed Charlie. Radar nodded, wiping at his eye again, sniffling, trembling in Jesse's arms.

"My other- other mother," he said, "She died a couple years back."

Charlie nodded in understanding, scribbling something down- again, without looking. Jesse was rather impressed by that.

"Your mother," Charlie said, after a moment, "You said she's sick. Is she being treated?"

Radar nodded, "Yeah, she- the doctor's have been telling her to take these pills, but sometimes… she just forgets."

"And when she doesn't take these pills," Charlie said slowly, "She becomes… violent?"

Radar cast his good eye downwards, speaking so quietly that even Jesse struggled to hear him, "Yeah."

"Is there anyone else who lives with you? A nurse, a relative, a pet?"

The kid shook his bowed head, "Just my mother and I."

"Okay," Charlie sighed, "Is there anyone who could… take you in?"

Radar's head immediately shot up, good eye the size of a dinner plate, "Why?"

"Perhaps not permanently," said Charlie, "Just until things get sorted. Any relatives that could lend you a roof?"

His intern stared at her for a long moment, a terror slowly filling his eyes. He slowly shook his head. "You're not-"

"He can stay with me."

Jesse didn't remember deciding to say that, but he knew before it had even left his lips that he would have probably decided to eventually anyhow, knew he was unlikely to regret it much. Or at all, really. Radar's head snapped around so fast his neck cricked, gaping at the hero, lips moving in a silent attempt at a garbled response. Charlie cocked their head to the side again, eyebrows raised.

"Is that so?" they hummed, "For how long, exactly?"

"As long as needed," Jesse answered without hesitation. Radar was still too busy gaping at him to say anything. Charlie's brow furrowed a little in consideration.

"And if that's forever?"

Jesse shrugged, "Then it's forever."

"Well, then," Charlie murmured, eyes trailing over to a still gaping Radar, "Is that alright with you, Radar?"

The kid opened and closed his mouth like a shocked fish for a moment, at a loss for words. His brow creased a little, black eyes that reflected off the universe, a gaze of stars, watching him, as though waiting for him to laugh long and loud and reveal his joke. Perhaps suspicion churned in the depths of those dark eyes, weariness, a desperate question. Radar breathed deeply, and tripped over his tongue.

"I don't- I don't want to be a bother."

"You won't be," Jesse insisted, "You aren't."

"It may be a temporary custody," Charlie said, Radar's eyes trailing to lock with theirs, "Just until this is sorted out. Jesse has openly volunteered to take you in until it is. But you don't have to accept if you don't want to."

Radar fell silent, eyes downcast. He chewed on his lip, and Jesse noticed him absentmindedly rubbing the bruises on his forearm, hidden by his hoodie sleeve. For a moment, Jesse thought maybe he should say something to convince him, but decided against it. He was more than happy to let Radar live with him.

But he wasn't going to force him to.

"You…" Radar took a deep breath, twisting his sleeves, not tearing his gaze from the floor, "You don't have to do this just- just because I'm your intern. She'll- She'll stop. Once I get her to start- to start taking her medicine again- it'll lessen. It always does."

Jesse's chest constricted. His eyes locked with Charlie's. They wrote something on their clipboard.

_Push the monster down._

"I know I don't have to, Radar," Jesse said, forcing the venom from his tongue, less his intern mistake it for something else, "I  _want_ to."

Radar's night dark eyes flickered up to Jesse's, something he couldn't read flashing through them, disguised behind a towering wall. The kid's lip slipped between his teeth. Jesse smiled reassuringly.

"Radar?" Charlie questioned, not annoyed, not pushing. A simple question.

Silence stretched. Radar's shoulders hunched, and he looked as though he wanted nothing more than to curl into a tight little ball and never emerge. He took in a trembling breath, almost seemed to steel himself, and turned a hesitant eye to Jesse.

"Alright. If it's okay with- with Jesse."

"Of course it is," Jesse said, immediately. Charlie smiled, and gave a single nod, scribbling something down.

"Alright," they said, "I guess we'll see what we can do. We'll want to get in contact with Champion City since it's where Radar's been living, but other than that, you two are free to go."

Relief flashed across Radar's face at the proclamation, and he shot to his feet a little too quickly to be considered casual. Jesse rose beside him, giving the social worker a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Charlie."

Charlie waved him off, "It's my job. I'd like to meet with you sometime tomorrow. Around lunch time?"

Jesse nodded, "Lunch time's fine. At Randy's Diner?"

"Sounds great," Charlie tucked their clipboard under their arm, "I'll see you then."

"Thank you," said Jesse, gently pushing between Radar's shoulder blades, guiding him towards the door. Charlie's smile saddened a little, although it never became any less genuine.

"Anytime."

The door closed behind them, blocking the social worker from Jesse's view. His arm snaked around Radar's shoulders, which seemed to have finally had all the tension seeped out of them. The kid's knees shook and wobbled, and for a moment Jesse was afraid he was about to fall over.

"Radar?" he said, a worry clawing at his chest, "Hey, you okay, buddy?"

Swallowing, his intern nodded a little hastily, "Ye-Yeah, I'm… I'm fine, Jesse."

Jesse frowned, "You sure? We can sit down if you want."

"No, no, I…" Radar raised his head, locking eyes with him, "Let's just… can we just go now? Please?"

"Yeah," said Jesse, "'Course we can."

"Thank you," Radar murmured, starting to rub absentmindedly at the sleeve that hid some of the bruises on his forearm. He raised his head, night black eyes locking with Jesse's.

Shining.

* * *

Instead of taking Radar back to the Order Hall, Jesse brought him to his treehouse. The jungle tree stretched to the sky, and the little wooden house itself was built around its trunk halfway up it, a little platform striped with oak and spruce planks around it. The treehouse was stationed decently close to the Order Hall itself.

Jesse often used his bedroom in the Hall, usually when he was too tired to start making his way home, despite how close it was. Back when they'd all lived in Beacontown, Jesse and his friends would spend hours in their treehouse, and now they would sleep in it whenever they were visiting and spending the night. But as time ticked on, and Jesse found himself spending less and less time with his friends, he was reluctant to return alone. It always feels so… empty, when he does. Worse than the Order Hall, somehow.

The star-struck look that permanently etched itself onto his interns face as he looked around the little room was comical, as it usually was, but most of all Jesse was relieved at its return. The kid had been too hesitant, too quiet, too hunched over for Jesse's liking as of late, although he knew it was well justified. It was nice, watching him looking about in total amazement at the most mundane of things, simply because they belonged to Jesse.

"Are you hungry?" Jesse asked, as he gestured for Radar to take a seat in the living room- or rather, the left side of the treehouse. The closest thing to a wall he had was the trunk of the tree itself going through the middle.

Radar sat down tentatively on the edge of one of the seats, practically gaping at the Wither Skull sitting on the window sill. If Jesse's memory was correct, Petra had been the one to place it there, telling him that the place needed more monster heads. "Uh, ye-yeah, I… I could eat, I guess."

Jesse quite happily made the kid a bowl of beetroot soup- one of the less chunkier meals he could make with the ingredients lying about, which Radar seemed to appreciate. It didn't mean, however, that Jesse didn't notice his small little winces every time he swallowed, the suppressed grimace every time his throat moved. He should probably put some more ointment on those bruises soon.

The hero was just starting to wonder where he should put Radar's bed- because he doubted the kid would want to share one with him every night- when said intern's head shot up, eyes widening to the point of his blackened one even opening a bit, and the colour drained from his face.

"We- We haven't done anything today!" Radar squeaked, "You were- You had a meeting with some of the Redstonian's on the prospects of improving the gates, and- and there was- Founding Day! It's- It's gonna be Founding Day soon and we haven't done  _anything-_ "

"Woah, Radar, calm down," Jesse cut him off, pushing himself up from where he'd been sitting on the couch opposite his currently panicking intern. He held up his hands in what he hopped was a calming gesture, crossing the room so he was standing in front of him. "Hey, take it easy. It's fine, okay? It's fine, pal."

Radar gasped for breath, fisting the fabric of his shirt, frantically shaking his head, "No, no, I- you have things to do and- and I've been keeping you from them, it's- oh god, it's almost  _noon_ -"

"Radar,  _breathe_ ," Jesse stressed, kneeling in front of his kid and taking his hands in his own, narrowly stopping the almost finished bowl of beetroot soup from spilling all over the place, "Just breathe, okay? Deep breaths, buddy."

His kid gasped, struggling to follow his instructions. His eyes were shiny, glasses starting to fog up a little, nails practically digging into Jesse's skin. The hero had the sudden urge to pull him into a tight hug and never let go, but knew immediately that was a terrible,  _terrible_ idea.

Jesse chewed on his lip, hating how  _useless_ he felt. A sudden worry clawed at the back of his brain, whispering how he wasn't fit to look after a child, but he shoved it away and forced it down as far as it would go, right down with the memory of dangling above a deadly drop, cracked Command Block directly next to him, his little pigs wide eyes staring into his own, shining with pain and terror and tears as his legs were crushed between the blunt teeth of the monster.

"Calm down," he muttered, pushing the memory away, despising himself for even thinking about it. It was directed more towards himself than Radar, but all the same the intern nodded, clenching shut his eyes and teeth, gulping in a trembling breath.

"I- I'm good," he gasped, "I'm- I'm good."

Jesse stared at him for a long moment, biting his lip. He reached forwards and pushed Radar's glasses up his forehead, earning himself a small noise of embarrassed disagreement, before gently taking hold of his chin and taking a good look at his eyes, both the horribly bruised one and the one that looked like it was about to create a waterfall.

Radar seemed to realise this, for he blinked rapidly, attempting to turn his head away, but Jesse's hand on his chin halted him. The young hero frowned, reaching up to wipe the brimming tears from his kid's face.

"You sure you're okay?"

The intern's cheeks coloured, "Yes- Yeah, I'm- I'm alright, boss."

Jesse hummed, still frowning, and released Radar's chin. The boy lowered his glasses so he could see properly again, rubbing his chest with his other hand and blinking as Jesse got up from his kneeling position and sat down next to him. His good eye darted downwards, a blush rising to his cheeks, shifting in his seat.

"We can- We can get to work now."

"It's fine, Radar," Jesse assured, "We can get to that stuff later. Okay?"

Radar frowned, confused, as though the mere suggestion was something baffling. Jesse supposed it sort of ones, for someone of Radar's characteristics; the kid was a 'let's get this done here and now' kind of guy. His enthusiasm on simply doing paperwork had often brightened Jesse's day.

It was hard to get annoyed around Radar.

"You said I wouldn't be a burden," his intern murmured, after what must have been almost a full minute of silence. Jesse's back stiffened.

"You're not," he promised, brow furrowing. He reached out, taking Radar's hand in his own. "I promise, buddy, you're never gonna be a burden to me."

Radar stared at their interlocked hands for a long moment, an almost closed off sort of look on his face. Then he bit his lip, breathing a small sigh. "Only if you're actually okay with it."

Jesse snorted, "Of course I'm okay with it. It's nice to have a day off every now and again."

A silence fell upon them. It wasn't comfortable, exactly, but it wasn't tense or awkward either. Radar didn't try to pull his hand away, absently fiddling with a loose string on his hoodie with his other one. A parrot landed on the windowsill opposite them, fluttering its rainbow wings before settling down, watching the street below

"Jesse?" Radar broke the silence, startling the hero a little.

"Hm?"

"What's going to happen to me?"

Jesse glanced at him from the corner of his eye; he was tense, hand going from fiddling with the piece of string to gripping the hem of his hoodie. His gaze was glued to his feet. "Nothing bad."

"Okay," Radar muttered, and Jesse had the feeling that perhaps he didn't completely believe him, "What about… what about my mother?"

The hero's brow furrowed, wondering how he should answer. How Radar would react with either option. Of course, Jesse himself was quite fine with tossing the inhuman being that dare consider herself a mother down to the darkest depths of the world and beyond, but was Radar? Unable to understand it as he maybe be, his kid had shown a reluctance to act against her.

"I'm… not sure," he settled for, a truth despite having a relatively good idea of what the actual answer was, "But whatever happens, she's never hurting you again."

Radar said nothing in answer, not raising his eyes from his feet. A pang he couldn't really place hitting his chest, Jesse released his intern's hand to wrap it around his shoulders and pull him close into his side.

The kid tensed, but was surprisingly quick to relax. Jesse rested his cheek atop Radar's head, watching the parrot seated on his windowsill. Something must have caught its eye, for it was quick to take off, flapping out of sight.

Jesse closed his eyes.

Sighing.

* * *

The day passed relatively slowly. Jesse helped Radar apply some more ointment to his bruises, and he decided it would be alright if he gave him a potion to help him deal with the pain, something Ivor had left him before heading on vacation with Harper a few days ago. Jesse wasn't entirely sure why, but the man seemed to insist he leave him some potions- healing ones especially- whenever he left town for an extended period of time.

To be honest, Jesse had long ago decided not to protest. You never know when you might need a healing potion, after all, even if he wasn't going out adventuring as much as he used to.

But other than that, they didn't do much. Jesse was tempted to press him a little about what his mother had done to him, what she was sick with, who she was, why he didn't tell anyone. But he shoved that temptation down almost viciously, because who was he to pressure the kid after he's already been through so much?

Radar would tell him with time. Even if it took awhile, Jesse didn't want to force him to do anything he wasn't comfortable with, no matter how much it bugged him at the back of his brain.

It was nice too. Just sitting about the living area in a comfortable silence. He even lent Radar a book to read,  _Composite_ , after finding out he'd loved the first addition. They talked here and there, and Jesse made the both of them some dinner, but otherwise the treehouse was quiet.

He must have become lost in thought at one point, because when he looked outside the window, the sun was setting over the gates. He glanced over at Radar, and was startled to discover he was fast asleep, curled up on the couch, open book slipping from his fingers.

Hiding a smile, Jesse stood from his own seat and crouched in front of his sleeping intern, shaking his head as he realised how this was honestly starting to become a regular thing. He tugged the book away, marked his page and sat it on the counter, before reaching out and scooping his kid into his arms.

Radar shifted, resting his cheek against Jesse's shoulder, mumbling something he couldn't catch, but he didn't wake. Jesse carried him around the trunk going through the middle of the treehouse and settled him down in the bed, pulling off his glasses and leaving them on the bedside table.

Jesse ran his fingers through Radar's dark locks. When he bent down, the kiss was quick and hesitant, right in the middle of his forehead, and he was fast to retract and slip back into the living area to sleep on the couch. He didn't see Radar shift in his sleep, nor did he see the smile that tugged at his lips, but he couldn't deny the warm feeling that was spreading through his own chest.

When the morning came with the groans of burning monsters beyond Beacontown's gates, Jesse woke with a kink in his neck and a parrot directly in his face.

He yelped and tumbled off the couch, sending the parrot flapping into the air with a startled squak. Muttering a word that would have earned him a smack over the head from Harper had she been present, Jesse kicked off the blanket his legs had become tangled in and stumbled to his feet, shooting a glare in the parrot's direction.

"Jesse?"

His head snapped up, blinking as he locked eyes with Radar. The kid was peeking around the tree, hand trailing across its bark, shifting on his feet. Jesse blinked blearily, rubbing his kink-aching neck with a yawn.

"Morning, Radar."

"Morning," Radar muttered. He frowned, a guilty look crossing his face. "Did I… did I make you sleep on the couch?"

Jesse waved him away, bending down to pick up the blanket, "It's fine, Ray, I don't mind. I've slept on this couch a couple times now. Usually when Petra steals my bed."

A giggle escaped Radar's lip, and Jesse beamed. He threw the blanket over the back of the couch, shot the parrot one last glare as it darted past his face and out the window into the open air, before gesturing for Radar to come over, making his way over to the furnace and food chest.

"You hungry, buddy?"

He made Radar some breakfast and grabbed himself an apple. Afterwards, he put some more ointment on Radar's bruises. The ones on his forearms were finally starting to fade, but the ones on his face and throat didn't appear to have changed at all. If anything, they looked as though they were getting worse. Jesse hoped they'd be gone entirely soon.

It was with a surprising quickness that lunchtime rolled around, so much that Jesse was fairly certain he would have missed it had he not taken a casual glance towards the clock. He briefly considered leaving Radar in the treehouse, but was quick to banish the idea; he knew Radar was old enough to take care of himself, but Jesse found himself reluctant to leave him alone for an extended period of time. And Charlie hadn't said how long this little meeting of theirs would take.

So Jesse grabbed his satchel (it's  _not_ a purse, Petra), helped Radar put some more of that ointment on, before ushering his intern out the door. Besides, something told him keeping the kid cooped up all day with nothing to do wasn't the best of ideas.

Randy's Diner was one of those classic little joints only the locals were aware of, in a jam-packed street at the end of the restaurant district, nicknamed Savoury Street. It was the type of place no one would expect a famous person to go to for lunch, which was one of the many reasons it was Jesse's favourite. Without his armour or a sword, you'd be surprised by the amount of people who didn't recognise him in a place like this.

Charlie Fryn was already there, seated in a booth near the back with a menu open in front of them. Upon spotting them, they smiled and waved them over, and Jesse let Radar slip into the seat opposite them first before seating himself next to him.

"Afternoon, Jesse, Radar," the social worker smiled, "Everything going well?"

Jesse returned the smile, nodding, "Yes, everything's good, thanks."

"That's great to hear," said Charlie, before turning their smile to Radar, "What about you, Radar? How have you been doing?"

His intern shifted nervously in his seat, not meeting their eyes, "Um… I've been- I've been good, thank you."

Charlie nodded, "That's great. Either of you had lunch yet?"

"Thought we'd grab something here," Jesse explained. Spotting menus stuck on a stand at the edge of the booth, he plucked out two and handed one to Radar. "See if there's anything you'd like, yeah?"

Radar accepted the menu with a small nod, and was quick to bury his face into it; more to avoid eye contact than to look for something to eat, Jesse suspected.

"I'm glad you could meet with me," said Charlie, returning their gaze to their own menu, "I'd like to hash out a few details before I throw myself into the paperwork."

"What sort of details?" Jesse asked, mind more on the conversation than the list of meals in front of him. Charlie gave a slight shrug.

"Nothing  _too_ important," they assured, "Just where exactly Radar will be staying and if you have the space and the right essentials, things like that. Protocol, mostly, which I'm sure you'll have no problems passing."

Jesse nodded, reminding himself to get Radar a bed soon. Maybe on the way home. "Will there be an inspection?"

Charlie hummed an affirmative, lips twitching, "Not even you can get out of something like that, I'm afraid."

Jesse's own lips twitched, "You seem to think I have something to hide."

"Well," said Charlie, looking up from their menu, "It's my job to make sure you don't. In terms of Radar, anyway."

Radar coughed uncomfortably, although cut off abruptly with a restrained grimace, cheeks dusting pink. Jesse squeezed his shoulder.

"I've got nothing to hide."

Charlie smiled, "I sure hope that's true."

A waiter approached their table then, asking if they were ready to order. Charlie was quick to ask for a chicken wrap, while Radar, stumbling over his words, went for a grilled cheese- one of the cheapest things on the menu, Jesse duly noted. Having not actually been  _reading_ said menu, Jesse asked for a grilled cheese as well.

"So," Charlie continued, once the waiter had left, "I'll be getting in contact with Champion City sometime soon, preferably by this weekend at the latest. Radar, would it be alright if you gave me some information about your mother? You don't have to if you don't want to, of course, but a name at least would come in handy."

"Oh, uh," Radar swallowed thickly, chewing on his lip; Jesse was fairly certain he'd begun to wring his hands beneath the table, "I- I guess that would… it'd be alright."

Charlie smiled kindly, beginning to dig a notepad and a pen out from their bad, "Thank you, Radar. If you don't want to answer any of my questions, then just say so and we'll move on."

Silently, Radar nodded, inching just a little bit closer to Jesse. Charlie sat their pad on the table and turned their attention to him, not unlike they had the day before in Dr Mari's office.

"Alright, then," they said, "Could you tell me her name?"

Licking his lips, Radar gave a small nod, "Glo- Gloria."

 _Gloria_. Jesse wasn't sure how to feel about knowing her name; it only served to make the situation seem all the more real. And it  _was_ real. As much as he didn't want it to be, this was real. Radar had been hurt.

He still couldn't believe he hadn't realised until he'd been called to the  _hospital_.

Without looking down, Charlie scribbled something onto their notepad- probably the name, seeing as how Jesse doubted there was much else to write. Considering the line of questioning and whatnot.

"Gloria," they echoed, as though testing it on their tongue, "Does she have a job?"

"Uh, yeah," Radar said, still not meeting their eyes; that was fine. Eye contact was never strictly necessary, after all. "She's- She's a police officer."

Jesse stilled.

Oh.

 _Oh_.

His eyes found Charlie's. Something in their face had turned particularly grim. This complicated things. Jesse wasn't entirely sure how or why, but there was no doubt this complicated things. People were supposed to be able to trust police officers. They were supposed to be  _protectors_. How would the people of Champion City react when it came to light that an officer had strangled her own son to the point that his neck was mangled with bruises? Not to mention the fact that it was a  _different_ town that took him in and put a stop to it instead of their own?

Charlie wrote something down.

"How long has she been a police officer?" they asked. Radar's brow furrowed slightly in thought.

"S'long as I can remember," he muttered. Charlie nodded, the grimness that Jesse had spotted gone from their face and replaced by that cheerful little mask again.

"Where do you guys live?" they asked, "In a house, an apartment, a flat? Near the station, perhaps?"

"Apartment," Radar answered, rubbing his forearms, bruises hidden beneath his sleeves, "Pretty- Pretty close to the centre of town…"

"Did you have any roommates? Siblings? Pets?"

Radar shook his head, "No. It was- It's just us."

"Did anyone know she was being violent towards you?"

Jesse's eyes darted towards his intern. The kid was silent, gaze locked on the tabletop. He'd stopped rubbing his forearms. Finally, he opened his mouth.

"Don- Don't know," he croaked. Charlie nodded and wrote something down without looking at it.

"Thank you for answering, Radar," they said, flipping their notepad shut and stuffing it back into their bad, "You're very brave."

Radar looked up, meeting their eyes for the first time in evident surprise. Then his cheeks coloured and his gaze snapped back down to the table.

The waiter returned not long later with their food, dishing out the plates. Conversation turned back to where Radar will be staying and what Jesse can supply for him, and Charlie explained that he'll have to give a statement of sorts to prove that he had Radar's best interest at heart, especially considering that he was the kids boss.

"Well, then," Charlie said, when plates had been cleared and they were splitting the bill with Jesse, "Thank you for meeting with me. I'll tell you how things are going along whenever I can. Contact me if you have any questions or queries, be it from Jesse or you, Radar. Understood?"

Both Radar and Jesse nodded. Charlie smiled, shook their hands, and bid them good day. Jesse watched them go, before turning his attention to his intern.

"Ready to go, buddy?"

Radar shuffled his feet, fiddling with the hem of his sleeve. His brow was furrowed, as though he were unsure about something, but when he looked up to Jesse and opened his mouth to speak, he seemed to think better of it and closed it again, giving a stiff nod instead. Jesse frowned.

"What is it?"

The kid hesitated, glancing away and gnawing on his bottom lip. Finally, he spoke up. "Are you- you know- um… sure?"

Jesse's frown deepened, confused, but Radar hastily went on before he could say anything, "You- You know, about… all this?"

Jesse blinked. Oh.

 _Was_ he sure?

… No. No, he really, really wasn't.

But since when had being unsure ever stopped him?

"No," he admitted, quickly continuing when the colour drained from Radar's face, "But that's not stopping me. We'll figure it out, okay?"

Radar swallowed, nodding. Jesse bit his lip, then shouldered his satchel, wrapped his arm around his intern's shoulder and began to steer him towards the door.

"C'mon, buddy. We've got a bed to buy."

Silence.

* * *

The weeks passed surprisingly quickly.

Reluctant to be seen dragging his bruised intern around, Jesse and Radar mostly spent their time doing paperwork either in the Order Hall or at the treehouse. Jesse kept his eye on the time a bit more than he usually did, making sure they both got home at a reasonable time for dinner. He also found himself shopping a lot more than he used to;  _he_ may be able to survive off an apple a day, but he definitely wasn't leaving Radar to that.

Of course, their absence- Jesse's especially, and then some since not even his intern was there to fill in- sparked rumours, but that was to be expected. Pretty much  _everything_ Jesse said or did caused some sort of ridiculous rumour to spread, and he had long since learnt that ignoring them was the only thing he could really do that didn't just make things worse. Debunking them, sadly, didn't really work unless he had some sort of explanation that was somehow juicier than the rumour had been.

And Jesse wasn't exactly all for letting the whole world know his intern from the neighbouring city was abused and he was getting guardianship over him.

No. That was a  _horrible_ idea.

Radar's bruises were healing nicely, the discoloured skin fading quickly to its original tone with the help of the ointment Dr Mari had prescribed him. They'd gone back to the hospital to see her a couple of times, making sure there hadn't been any extensive damage to his vocal cords, but they were soon deemed unnecessary. The swelling was completely gone now, and the ones on his forearms were practically non-existent. He looked a lot better than he had when Jesse was called to the hospital.

Which was one of the reasons Jesse was in such a good mood when he got a letter from Charlie asking for another meet-up. He sent one back telling them to swing round to his office the following day, sometime after lunch so there'd (hopefully) be a lapse in paperwork. If the meeting wasn't too long, they could do a bit more before heading home.

Charlie greeted them both with a smile when they were granted access into the office.

"'Lo, Charlie," said Jesse, beginning to clean the tip of his quill so he could put it away, absentmindedly noticing Radar looking up from his own work, "It's been awhile."

"Hello, Jesse," Charlie hummed, before turning their smile to his intern, "Radar."

The kid raised his hand in a timid wave.

"So," Jesse stood, setting his newly cleaned quill down and moving to stand in front of his desk, "How's the, ah, case going?"

"Well," Charlie seated themselves in a chair dragged forward by Radar, shooting the boy a grateful smile as he stepped off to the side a little, shuffling his feet, "I've finally got in contact with Champion City."

Jesse raised an eyebrow, "Just now?"

Charlie nodded, brow creasing slightly, "Yes. I sent a letter only shortly after our meeting in the diner, but they've only just got back to me. It was a rather… interesting response."

That wasn't very comforting. "Oh?"

The social worker's brow deepened further, "For starters, it wasn't from their CPS, whom I had originally contacted, but rather their leader."

Out the corner of his eye, Jesse saw Radar stiffen. His own brow furrowed. "Okay… I  _guess_ that makes sense, considering we're a different town and all."

"That was my original assumption," Charlie said, clasping their hands in their lap, "But, ah… well. I was technically right."

Jesse blinked, "Sorry?"

"Do you know a Stella, Jesse?"

"Stella?" Jesse echoed. Charlie nodded affirmatively. He frowned. "Don't think so."

"Well, she certainly seems to know you," they said, leaning back slightly in their chair, "Went on this bewildering rant about how you were 'playing an interesting card.' Said the two of you would be needing to have a little 'talk' soon."

Jesse stared, "What?"

Charlie shrugged, "I have no clue. I'm going to assume by your bewildered expression and the fact that you failed to warn me of such an encounter happening that you have no clue either."

For a bit longer than was strictly considered polite, Jesse stared, before bringing his hand up to massage the bridge of his nose, struggling to process this information. Radar shuffled his feet again, nervously wringing his hands, and Jesse turned to look at him.

"You lived in Champion City, Radar. Any idea what this is about?"

"Uh… I- I thought you knew," Radar mumbled, eyes darting away. Jesse frowned, before forcing it off his face and straightening slightly from where he leant against his desk.

"Knew what, buddy?"

Radar shifted his weight again, still not quite meeting his eyes. He drew in a shuddering breath. "Stella- the- the leader of Champion City- she's made these- I know they're not true, they're absolutely ridiculous, but she seriously acts like they  _are_ true- these rumours about how you two are- you- you know- rivals."

Jesse took a moment to process this, even more bewildered than before, "But… I've never even  _heard_ of her until now," he paused, "I think."

His intern shook his head, "You've never had a scheduled meeting with her, at least."

Jesse's lips twitched. Of course he'd know that.

"So," said Charlie, directing attention back to them, "This 'Stella' is interfering and possibly complicating the matter simply because it's Jesse?"

Radar glanced away, but nodded, "Ye- Yeah. She's… a little obsessed with you, I think. Always trying to one-up you."

Charlie hummed, "Typical, then, that you didn't even know she existed until just now."

Jesse groaned, returning to massaging the bridge of his nose. As if Radar's mother being a police officer hadn't complicated things enough. "So, what? Should I have a meeting with her or something? Explain that I'm not doing this to 'play an interesting card'?"

"If you think that'd work," Radar muttered, already tugging his notebook out of his pocket. Charlie, however, shook their head.

"You want to keep the fact that you're Beacontown's Hero in Residence out of the equation as much as possible, right? Well, if you were anyone else, a meeting with the leader of Champion City wouldn't even be considered- let alone necessary. Let us handle it. We'll explain the situation and hash things out ourselves."

Jesse licked his lips, frowning, but nodded, "Okay. That should work fine, right?"

Charlie smiled, "We'll sort things out, Jesse. Are you two ready for the inspection tomorrow?"

Jesse and Radar looked at each other. The hero returned his gaze to Charlie, nodding. "Yeah, we're gonna be getting the place cleaned up properly after dinner tonight. It's not a particularly…  _large_ house, though."

"But- But that's fine," Radar blurted, "Easier- Easier to clean."

Charlie huffed a laugh, "Yes, I suppose that  _is_  a bonus of having a small place."

They stood, brushing imaginary creases from their pants and shooting them both a pleasant smile, "Well, apart from all that, things are going a little slower than they usually would, what with this all taking place in a different town. But hopefully we'll be in contact with Champion City's CPS and they'll probably want to conduct an investigation of their own."

Radar's lip slipped between his teeth, and he averted his gaze downwards. Jesse glanced at him, but returned Charlie's smile and shook their head. "Thanks for coming, Charlie."

"It's never a problem," they said, reaching over to shake Radar's hand as well, "I'll see you two shortly, yes? Glad to see those bruises are healing nicely."

Radar gave them a hesitant, crooked little smile, "Thank you, um… mir?"

Charlie's smile widened slightly, "Mx will do fine, thanks."

Radar nodded, that hesitant little smile widening a tiny bit, "Thank you, mx."

Charlie gave him another smile, tipped their head towards Jesse, and then left the office. Once they were gone, Jesse sighed, running a hand through his hair and wondering whether or not it would be a good idea to find something  _strong_ to drink when Radar was living with him. Maybe once he was asleep…

Speaking of whom.

"Everything- Everything alright, boss?"

Jesse dropped his hands back to his side, turning to give the kid a reassuring smile, "Yeah, everything's okay, buddy. Just wasn't expecting someone would actually  _want_ to be my rival, is all."

Despite himself, Radar gave a small snort, "Yeah, I- I can't really see you being anyone's rival. You're not competitive enough."

Jesse huffed a laugh, pushing himself away from his desk and ruffling his intern's dark hair, earning a slight whine in protest, "Wait until you see one of mine and Petra's races. Those can get surprisingly crazy."

Radar giggled, "I can only imagine."

"Yeah," Jesse murmured, wrapping his arm around the kid's shoulders and realising with a rather painful pang that he hadn't actually  _seen_ any of his friends since the weekend before he was called to the hospital. He wondered what they were up to… "Ready to head home, then? We got a lot of cleaning up to do."

"Hm. Yeah." Radar hummed, a surprisingly soft tone to his voice. He looked up at Jesse, bruises fading against his face and throat, yellow and light purple mostly at this point. "Home."

Smiling.


End file.
